Joel M Bradshaw

16In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. 19Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.–2 Kings 8

1. Jehoshaphat was one of the few godly kings.
2. But his son Jehoram didn’t follow his father’s faith.
3. Jehoram married Jezebel’s daughter and was instead influenced by her.
4. He lived an evil life and lived more like Ahab than like David.
5. It’s possible that Jehoshaphat, though a godly king, was a father who failed to influence his son.
6. It’s also possible that Jehoram was raised rightly, but simply walked away from his father’s faith like a prodigal.
7. What we do know is that Jehoram made choices and compromised. His compromise led to evil. He didn’t keep the main thing the main thing. What things do you compromise about your faith for the sake of the world? Has it led you to godliness or evil in the eyes of God?–JMB